President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a Russian drone strike hit a facility linked to spent nuclear fuel storage close to the Chornobyl nuclear complex, describing the incident as a “deliberate and deeply reckless attack,” though authorities report no rise in radiation levels.
Ukrainian officials say the strike targeted infrastructure associated with handling spent nuclear material near the Chornobyl site in northern Ukraine. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed it had been briefed on damage to a fuel reception building located close to areas where significant nuclear material is stored.
According to Ukraine’s state nuclear operator, Energoatom, no spent fuel was present in the affected structure at the time of the incident. Emergency crews extinguished a fire that broke out after the impact, and no casualties have been reported.
The facility lies roughly 15 kilometres (9 miles) from the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the site of the 1986 disaster. The Russian government has not issued an official response regarding the alleged strike.
Zelenskyy said the attack involved a Shahed-type drone and emphasized that radiation readings remain within normal background levels, although he warned of what he called increasing risks to critical infrastructure across Ukraine.
The IAEA said it plans to send inspectors to assess the extent of the damage and verify safety conditions at the site.
In a separate incident earlier in 2025, a Russian drone reportedly damaged the protective containment structure covering the destroyed Chornobyl reactor, further raising concerns about repeated threats to nuclear facilities during the ongoing war.
Ukraine and Russia have repeatedly accused each other of endangering the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, which remains under Russian control.
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